RICHMOND, IN – The Principia baseball team traveled to Indiana on Tuesday to take on a strong opponent in the Earlham College Quakers. The Panthers held tight in a pitching duel through seven innings, but a three-run eighth inning pushed Earlham to a 4-1 victory.
The Panthers struck first in the second inning, capitalizing on an extra-base hit and timely execution. Josh Dement opened the frame with a double down the left-field line and moved to third on a wild pitch, before Dean Wood drove him home with a ground out to shortstop, giving Principia a 1-0 lead. Earlham then evened the score in the third inning on an unearned run due to a throwing error following a pair of stolen bases.
Principia pitching kept the Quakers in check the rest of the afternoon. Cole Christensen worked three strong innings in his start, allowing just two hits while striking out four. Charlie Reiss followed with 4.2 scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits and navigating multiple base runners to keep the game tied heading into the eighth.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, momentum shifted in the bottom of the eighth when Earlham plated three unearned runs using consecutive walks, aggressive base running, and a two-run double to take a 4-1 lead. The Quakers' closer then retired the side in order in the ninth to seal the decision.
Principia will return to conference play on Friday at Blackburn College with a 3:00 PM start, before a doubleheader at noon on Saturday.
